Kailroad-cab



' D.STONE Car Seat and Couch. No. 21,727. v Patented Oct. 5, 1858.

AMPHOTOL ITHO.CO.N.Y. (OSBORNE'S PROCESS) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DRAPER STONE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, AND E. S.TURNER,

. OF GRAFTON, WISCONSIN.

RAILROAD-CAR SEAT.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,727, dated October 5, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DRAPER STONE, of the city and county of Milwaukeeand State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement inRailroad-Oar Seats for Enabling Them to be Readily Converted intoDistinct Sleeping Couches or Berths; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification.

Figure l, is a longitudinal section through the longitudinal passage wayat the center of the car, showing an end elevation of three seat frameswith the cushioned backs and bottoms of two of them converted into foursleeping couches or berths. Fig. 2, is a top or birds eye view of thesame. Fig. 3, is a longitudinal section of the same showing an endelevation of the said seats with their bottoms and backs in the positionto form ordinary seats to accommodate the passengers in a sittingposture.

Similar letters in the figures refer to corresponding parts.

The nature of this invention and improvement consists in, constructingthe reversible back frames of every alternate seat in the car, of agreater elevation than the intermediate ones, and so jointing andbracing their cushioned frames, as to enable said cushioned frames to beraised forward, and extended in a horizontal position over the low seatback frames in advance and to be converted into distinct sleepingcouches or berths, at diflerent heights, and in so forming and jointingthe lower cushioned double backs, and double bottoms, of theintermediate seats, as to enable them to be opened, and so extended andarranged in relation to each other, as to convert them into two otherdistinct sleeping couches or berths, also on different planes ofelevation, and in this manner; and by a slight exertion, to form fourdistinct and comfortable sleeping couches or berths, out of every pairof seats in the car.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

Each of the seatframes, consists of three uprights A, formed of crosspieces below, connected by horizontal bars at their upper ends, from theends of which spring semicircular or arched pieces B, B, and connectedtogether by a horizontal bar below.

From each of the upper portions or apex of the semicircular or archedpieces B, of the end uprights A, of the high backed seats, that is,every other one, extends curved bars B which join each other and form acircular car, a short distance above, to which, is

jointed by a pin or bolt, the connected ends of curved bars O whoseopposite ends are secured to near the upper and lower ends of inclinedframes, D, extending in width the full length of the seats, and inheight, the required distance to enable their upper por tions to formrests for couches or sleeping berths, above the heads of the passengers,when in a sitting posture below.

To lugs or projections on the upper end of the inclined bars of theframes D, next the side of the car, "and the central parallel bar of thesame, is secured a horizontal rod E, and to the lug or projection on thesaid central bar, and the end of one of the curved bars O, and a shortdistance below the plane on which the rod E, is arranged, is securedanother horizontal rod E, and to each of these rods E, E, is jointed theupper end of the cushioned frame E, of the seat back, which frames F,are jointed at their lower ends, at the same relative distances oneabove the other, as their top jointed ends are situated apart, to othercushioned frames F, corresponding in size and form with the frames F.The cushioned frames F, and F, when the several parts of the seat arearranged in a position to be occupied in a sitting posture, are foldedparallel or nearly so with each other, one in the front and the other inthe rear of the back frame D, those in the rear being held against thesaid back frame D by a button or cleat F or in any other convenientmanner.

To the horizontal rods E, E, outside the jointed ends of the side bars,of the cushioned frames F, F, are jointed the ends of parallel bars Z, alittle greater in length than said cushioned frames F, F, which bars Z,are bent or curved and jointed by pins at their opposite ends, to thecorresponding ends of similar parallel bars Z also jointed at theiropposite ends by pins, to near the ends of the side bars of thecushioned frame F. The bent or curved ends of the bars Z, Z, where theyare jointed together, are situated in slots formed in arms J, jointed atone end to the pins securing the ends of the two cushioned framestogether, and extending therefrom under the seats, when the saidcushioned frames are in the position to form a seat back, as representedin Fig. 3, and at right angles thereto, when they are employed to formcouches or berths, as represented in'Figs. l and 2.

To the apex or upper parts of the curved portions 13, of the uprights A,of the frames, of the seats between the vhigh backed ones, are cast orotherwise secured ears, to which are jointed by bolts or pins the endsof curved bars K, which are jointed at their opposite ends by bolts orpins, to the lower part of the edges of cushioned back frames L,extending upward at the proper angle of inclination to form back rests,only about half the distance of the height of the more elevated backframes, and hinged at their upper edges to other cushioned frames L,corresponding in every respect with the cushioned back frames L, againstthe rear surface of which they are folded parallel, when the saidcushioned frames L, are supported in the position represented in Fig. 3by the notches at the ends of spring bars or catches M, hooking over thepins or studs M, projecting from the edges of the cushioned frames L,the opposite ends of said spring catches or bars M, being fastened tothe curved bars K.

The bottoms of the seats, next the longitudinal passage way through thecar, consist of two cushioned frames N, N, hinged together at theiredges, and capable of being folded parallel together, or extended, asoocasion may require, the upper one N, being wider than the lower one N,and resting on ledges or ribs I, formed on the sides of the uprights Aof the frames. The bottoms N of the seats, next the sides of the car,are made, hinged together, and supported, in precisely the same manneras the cushioned seat bottom frames N, N, and their hinged portions arejointed or hinged to the ends of levers, arms or bars 0, jointed attheir opposite ends to horizontal transverse rods or shafts P, extendingfrom the horizontal piece of the central upright of the frame A, to thehorizontal piece of the upright next the side of the car, for elevatingand supporting the said cushioned frames N in connection with the springbars Q, and projections or lugs R, after being made to form a portion ofa single sleeping couch, as will be hereafter described.

In Fig. 3, the seats are represented in the position they are designedto occupy when sat upon by the passengers,with their cushioned back F,F, L, L, and bottom frames N, N, N folded together. When it is desiredto change the position of the cushioned back frames F, F, of the highback seats and convert them into sleeping couches or berths, thecushioned bottom frames S, which rest upon ledges or ribs I, projectingfrom the horizontal pieces of the uprights A of the frames, are removedfrom their positions, and the hinged cushioned back frames F, in therear are released, by turning the buttons or cleats F and are swungunder the back frames D and the two cushioned frames F, F, are raisedand extended to a horizontal position. When thus raised and extended toa horizontal position, the ends of the parallel bars Z, at the sides ofthe cushioned frames F, F, rest upon trans- Verse rods and bars, at theupper portions of the back frames D of the next high back seats inadvance, and the hinged portions of thesaid cushioned frames F, F, aresuspended and supported by the slotted arms or bars J, resting againstthe bent jointed ends of the bars or rods Z, which incline upward fromthe supports at theback frames of the high back seats, and are thus madeto assume the same position in relation to the suspended cushioned backframes F, F, as the twyers do to the girders of truss bridges. WVhen thecushioned back frames F, F, are thus raised, their bottom cushionedframes S, are placed in an inclined position at one of their ends, inorder to form raised supports for the heads of the passengers and theyare thus made to form distinct and comfortable sleeping couches atdifferent elevations.

The cushioned back frames L, L, and double cushioned bottom frames N, N,of the low backed seats next the longitudinal passage way in the car areconverted into similar distinct horizontal sleeping couches or berths,by detaching the spring notched bars M or catches from the pins or studsM, projecting from the edges of the cushioned frames L, and lowering andextending the two hinged cushioned frames L, L, one to a horizontalposition with the hinged portion of the two resting upon the horizontalledges or projections I on the sides of the uprights A of the frame, and

the other at a slightly inclined position upon lugs or other supports toform a raised support for the head of the passenger to rest upon. Thenarrow cushioned frames N, under the bottom ones designed for thepassengers to sit upon, are then raised on their hinges to a horizontalposition and their ends brought upon transverse bars Z2 extending fromone upright A of the frame, to the other when these distinct berths nextthe passage way through the car are completed. The additional series ofberths or couches next the sides of the car are formed by opening andextending the cushioned back frames L, L, similarly cushioned bottomframes N in precisely the same manner as that observed in opening andextending the frames just mentioned, and supporting them a shortdistance above the horizontal plane on which the berths or couches nextthe passage way are situated, by resting the hinged portions of thecushions and bottom frames or bars, or arms, 0 when raised to a verticalposition, and resting the opposite edge of the narrow frames, upon lugsor proj ections R on the back D of the high backed seats, immediately inadvance. The wider hinged cushioned bottom frames N upon which thepassengers sit, are supported by their edges resting on notches or thetops of spring bars Q, secured at their lower ends to the semicircularor arch formed parts B of the uprights A. The back cushioned frames L,L, are supported immediately in advance by the pins or studs projectingfrom the edges of one of them resting on lugs or projections on thesemi-circular top portions of the uprights of the high back frames, andthe raised ends of the other resting against the high back seat frame.In this manner a series of single, distinct and comfortable sleepingcouches or berths at different points of elevation, so as to enable athorough ventilation between them, are readily formed, which are asreadily capable of being again transformed into the usual reversibleseats, a distinguishing and important feature in the formation,arrangement, and operation of the several parts for producing theseeffects being that seats allotted to each individual can be made toeither form a seat or couch, without reference to or in the slightestmanner interfering with the comfort or position of the other passengers.

Instead of making the seat bottoms and backs for each individualdistinct and arranging and operating them as described so as to formdistinct berths or couches at different points of elevation they may bemade in one piece to extend the whole extent of the seat between theuprights A. next the side of the car and the passage way through thesame in which case the uprights between those mentioned and the other attachments necessary to this distinct character of berth or couch andseat will be dispensed with.

IVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1.Providing the back frame D of the high back seats, with hinged cushionedframes F, F, at different or the same points of elevation and jointingthe front ones F of them to horizontal bars E, E, secured to the backframe D, and attaching and combining therewith bracing or supportingbars Z, and slotted bars J, in which their curved ends move, in such amanner as to enable the said cushioned back frames F, F, to be foldedtogether with the back frame D between them to form comfortable anddistinct reversible seats as represented in Fig. 3, or raised andextended to the high backed seat-frame next in advance to form sleepingberths or couches on different horizontal planes as represented in Figs.1 and 2, as before described.

2. I also claim the combination and arrangement of the double hingedcushioned back frames L, L, of the low back seats, with and in therelation to the double hinged cushioned bottoms N, N, curved bars K andspring notched bars, M attached there to, and horizontal ledges or ribsI on the sides of the uprights A of the frame, substantially in themanner and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. I also claim giving a greater elevation to the hinged cushioneddouble back and bottoms l of the low back seats by combining therewiththe pins or studs on the edges of the former, lugs or projections inwhich they rest and rockshaft P and bars or arms 0, attached thereto,and spring notch bars Q and lugs or projections R on the high back seatframe next in advance, the whole of these parts being operated andarranged as described.

' DRAPER STONE. Vitnesses:

O. D. MUNN, E. S. TURNER.

